Peter Asaro

Dr. Asaro is Associate Professor in the School of Media Studies at the New School in New York City. He is the co-founder of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, and has written on lethal robotics from the perspective of just war theory and human rights. Dr. Asaro's research also examines agency and autonomy, liability and punishment, and privacy and surveillance as it applies to consumer robots, industrial automation, smart buildings, aerial drones and autonomous vehicles.

This article considers the recent literature concerned with establishing an international prohibition on autonomous weapon systems. It seeks to address concerns expressed by some scholars that such a ban might be problematic for various reasons. It argues in favour of a theoretical foundation for such a ban based on human rights and humanitarian principles that are not only moral, but also legal ones. In particular, an implicit requirement for human judgement can be found in international humanitarian law governing armed conﬂict.

As the military’s armed surveillance drones have become the iconic weapon of the early twenty-first century, they have also introduced radical transformations in the traditional labor of those who operate them the pilots, crew, analysts, and commanders. In so doing, these transformations have engendered new kinds of subjectivity, with new ways of experiencing the work of surveillance and killing.

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"However, speaking to BBC Three, Professor Peter Asaro, vice chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, shared his concerns about battlefield AI and wonders if it could ever be used against civilians.

"The issue is that computers aren’t capable of determining when it’s legally or morally acceptable to take human life, and can’t be held morally or legally responsible for doing so.

"According to Peter Asaro, of the New School in New York, such a scenario raises issues of legal liability if the system makes an unlawful killing.

"The delegation of authority to kill to a machine is not justified and a violation of human rights because machines are not moral agents and so cannot be responsible for making decisions of life and death.

"So it may well be that the people who made the autonomous weapon are responsible.""

"None of the panelists said they were seeking to bar the use of robotics in all military applications. However, a sharp moral line should be drawn when it comes to robots or autonomous systems that can decide on their own when to use lethal force without “supervision or meaningful human control,” said Peter Asaro, an associate professor at the New School in New York and co-founder of an organization of scientists and technologists in support of robot arms control."

"But Peter Asaro, a professor at The New School who studies technology ethics and is a spokesman for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, said there are still questions about the accuracy of Anduril's products.

"Peter Asaro, associate professor, School of Media Studies at The New School said, “The degree to which social media has shaped public consciousness and the degree to which that can be influenced by bad actors, whether that’s Russia or whether that’s political interests or whether that’s economic interests or just conspiracy theorists or what-have-you. And I think there’s a real reckoning that’s going to take place in terms of journalistic integrity, information integrity, and how do we understand what truth is in this new media world.”"

CIS Affiliate Scholars Peter Asaro, Ryan Calo and Woodrow Hartzog are listed as participants for We Robot 2014. Robotics is becoming a transformative technology. We Robot 2014 builds on existing scholarship exploring the role of robotics to examine how the increasing sophistication of robots and their widespread deployment everywhere from the home, to hospitals, to public spaces, and even to the battlefield disrupts existing legal regimes or requires rethinking of various policy issues. If you are on the front lines of robot theory, design, or development, we hope to see you.

The motion under debate will be:“Should there be an absolute ban on autonomous systems capable of using lethal force?” Two key speakers will argue for and against the motion, and respond to each other’s presentation. This will be followed by a discussion session with the audience, and a public vote.

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(Spanish TV) Robotics can create weapons they think for themselves and can attack military targets without human supervision.UN prepares an international treaty to ban so-called 'robots murderers'. Interview with CIS Affiliate Scholar begins at 00:27.